President-elect Donald Trump on Monday warned Republican senators opposed to his Cabinet nominations because of "unreasonable" or "stupid" reasons: Do so at your own political peril.
"If they're unreasonable, if they're opposing somebody for political reasons or stupid reasons, I would say — has nothing to do with me — I would say they probably would be primaried," Trump said during a news conference at this Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that aired on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 online streaming platform.
"But if they're reasonable, fair, and really disagree with something or somebody, I could see that happening," he said.
Most of Trump's Cabinet nominations have been well-received, but a few have raised concerns, including Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as director of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. With the GOP holding a 53-47 majority in the new Congress, Trump can afford to lose only three votes on a nominee.
"Those who oppose reform will lose their primary/election. Period," Tesla and X owner Elon Musk, who will be part of Trump's administration as co-head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, posted Dec. 1 on X.
Musk was responding to a post by conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose Turning Point USA organization played a big role in Trump's election. Kirk commented on remarks by Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., about his admiration for FBI Director Chirstopher Wray amid Trump's decision to nominate Kash Patel for the position. Wray announced Wednesday he would resign Jan. 20 when Trump is inaugurated.
"Sen. Rounds, you are up for reelection in 2026," Kirk posted. "If you vote against any of Trump's nominees a primary challenge wouldn't be hard. Just a reminder."
Trump touted a "great group of people" who are among his Cabinet picks. He said that Attorney General-nominee Pam Bondi "has been unbelievably received." He said that Hegseth – who has been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct – has made "tremendous strides" over the past week.
"He's going to be great," Trump said. "Look, he went to Princeton. He went to Harvard. He was a great student there, but he really was from the first day I met him, all he wanted to talk about was [the] military. He's just a military guy. I think [he's] a natural. This was my idea. And, you know, Pete Hegseth gave up a lot because he was going big places in Fox. Big, big places, a lot of money. And he didn't even hesitate when I said, 'Do you want to do this?' He said, absolutely.
"I said, 'You know, if it doesn't work out, you'll never have the opportunity that you have right now in terms of the world of entertainment or business, whatever you want to call it, you'll never have that opportunity again.' In fact, it could be just the opposite because it's nasty out there.
"He said, 'I don't care, I have to do it for my country.'"
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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